De Blasio administration aims to ramp up Sandy repairs

The latest numbers from the New York City Housing Recovery’s Build it Back program

After getting off to a slow start, a program to help New York City homeowners make repairs to houses damaged by Superstorm Sandy is gaining momentum.

Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration announced that it had topped its goal set in April of reimbursing 500 New Yorkers and starting work on 500 homes by Labor Day under the city’s Build it Back program, the Wall Street Journal reported. The Mayor’s Office of Housing Recovery now expects to begin repair work or construction on 50 properties per week, according to the newspaper.

The city has lagged behind similar programs administered by New York state and New Jersey, the Journal reported. Critics have also complained that some of the construction the mayor is counting toward his goal does not constitute significant repair work.

A spokesperson for Build it Back told the newspaper, “The vast majority of the homes have already seen extensive work.” [WSJ] — Tom DiChristopher